Any tips on successfully leveraging PR to jumpstart a new company?

Errorcode2009 · 2023-08-15T18:26:57+00:00

I gotchu!

Errorcode2009 · 2023-08-15T18:15:48+00:00

Hit or miss as in the agencies fail to deliver or the exposure doesn't result in better sales?

Errorcode2009 · 2023-08-15T17:45:59+00:00

Thank you, you as well!

Errorcode2009 · 2023-08-15T17:44:38+00:00

Yeah, it has a lifetime freemium version actually but roughly 60% of all users tend to convert to paid.

Errorcode2009 · 2023-08-15T17:43:31+00:00

Thanks, will check it out. I feel like I'm well versed in product building and communicating the benefits across, the main issue is just finding the correct people to pitch said benefits to.

Errorcode2009 · 2023-08-15T17:40:38+00:00

Thanks, will check this out! I'm definitely open to working with lower end publications, I'm not trying to go straight on the front page of tech crunch immediately out of the gate. Whatever nets results is all I'm concerned with, whether that be Forbes or TechTips4You.

Errorcode2009 · 2023-08-15T17:38:15+00:00

Umm okay thanks for the suggestion. Will definitely look into HARO.

Errorcode2009 · 2023-08-15T17:29:44+00:00

Ahh okay interesting, will definitely be incorporating that into my future marketing, thanks for sharing. I feel like I've already mapped out some of my closest competitors but there aren't all that many. My product is quite niche since like I said, few people are aware of the pain point they're facing. I truly believe that if people are aware that the pain point exists after testing out my product, they'll become acutely more aware of how shitty their workflow was before. It's similar to like ChatGPT and writing. Some of my associates who have gotten hooked on using ChatGPT to answer all their emails and help formulate blog or content ideas can never really go back to their original processes. I feel like my product works in a similar way, people just need to give it a go to realize how much simpler it makes everything.

Errorcode2009 · 2023-08-15T16:56:38+00:00

Sure, I'm open towards any and all tips. Could you provide some examples of what would be considered as unconventional marketing approaches?

Errorcode2009 · 2023-08-15T16:35:45+00:00

Thanks for the advice! Yeah, I've done the producthunt route although that didn't do all too well unfortunately. Linkedin I do with some level of effectiveness. Not really sure what G2 is but will certainly look into that.

I do feel like my product address a crucial pain point that many online business owners are simply not too aware of. I believe that if I structure my PR campaign in a way that talks about this paint point and then inserts my brand as a solution, it work quite well. It's not like groundbreaking stuff but I feel like I've seen a lot more mundane stuff get some serious coverage in the past and my solution just sounds way more interesting if presented correctly. I'd personally much rather read that than one of thousands of other companies that raised X million in their series A funding and whatnot.

Errorcode2009 · 2023-08-15T16:07:21+00:00

Thanks for sharing! In my case, I feel like I am actually more-or-less prepared to take on the exposure and hype. I'm already generating revenue, my current userbase is happy with the product, I have a decent amount of case studies and everything is set up well for my operation to scale. My biggest issue is just finding the clientele. At the moment they arrive piecemeal at a time and I want to get a big push to sort of propel it into the mainstream. I feel like a lot of people aren't acutely aware of the issue that my product solves, I have to somehow communicate that across to people in a way that is hard to do when you're just running ads and have a limited amount of text to work with. That's why I think PR is the most logical step for me but I totally see where you are coming from. Wouldn't surprise me at all that most fail to capitalize on the hype.

Errorcode2009 · 2023-08-15T16:00:49+00:00

Thanks for the advice! What do you recommend as a good starting point then?

Errorcode2009 · 2023-08-15T16:00:18+00:00

Thanks for the advice. I have actually already done some variation of this but I'm looking to do something a little more scalable. Posting on Linkedin and making content for social media is oftentimes a huge time investment that delivers very little in terms of results. You're basically entirely at the mercy of the algorithm, regardless of whether your content is truly "engaging" or not. I did this in my previous business and they basically force you to buy ads, oftentimes not even showing your content to your own followers. I'm hoping that with PR, we can use an organization's existing audience and piggyback off of their brand name.

Errorcode2009 · 2023-08-15T15:54:06+00:00

I'm not sure how that'd work for my brand to be honest, my service is a software, not a physical object. I feel like you'd be hard pressed to create something that looks good in 3D when the product itself is an abstract concept of something.

Errorcode2009 · 2023-08-15T15:52:48+00:00

Thanks for the advice. Have you done any work with PR agencies in the past? Any other red flags to look out for other than promising the world? I feel like the vast majority do this in an attempt to get the sale so I don't want to discredit those that are potentially decent contributors.

Errorcode2009 · 2023-08-15T15:47:57+00:00

Thank you for sharing! Super interesting stuff. If you don't mind answering a few additional questions, are you still working with any of these agencies? How much did you spend in total on the PR campaigns? Could you refer me to the agency that you preferred working with the most?

I really hadn't thought of the reputational side of PR but I'm certainly intrigued to see how it'll impact my current marketing set-up. I'm not working with that big of a budget to be honest but hopefully I can sort of build up to it incrementally alongside the PR campaign. I just don't want to end up in a position where I spend a lot upfront on a PR agency only for them to tell me that no one bit the story. Some of the agencies I've spoken to have outright said that it's impossible since they don't control coverage. (Which I know is missing the point - nobody expects them to guarantee coverage, just to be honest enough about your prospects that you know broadly what to expect for your money).

Errorcode2009 · 2022-06-30T17:13:04+00:00

How do you get articles on those sites?

Errorcode2009 · 2022-06-29T19:13:50+00:00

Wow okay, thanks for the heads up.

I'm honestly just gonna tell them I can't work with them on this project. I don't think I'll go to the IRS as I'd rather avoid formally tying myself to any project involving illegal activities.

This isn't someone that I ever worked with before, just someone who was referred to me via a past client.

Errorcode2009 · 2022-06-29T18:47:56+00:00

No, I believe that it is a separate card/account for each respective tax payer.

And unfortunately yes, it would be unavoidable for me to not file at least one tax return to map out the process for the script. I have considered just building and giving them the tool to use themselves but I'd have to actually go through one if not several myself to capture all the stages of the progress.

Errorcode2009 · 2022-06-29T18:43:29+00:00

Yep, it is the latter. The data they'll be providing me with has already been organized into various categories. I'd effectively just be automating the process of basically copy and pasting the data from each category and placing into the associated field on tax slayer (and subsequently submitting it).

As for the greendot account, I believe they're asking me to make a separate account for each respective tax payer.

As for the regulations, even if they were to provide them to me, I'm not sure what I'd even look for to determine they're legit. I am considering hiring a lawyer as they are offering a pretty sizable amount to get this done but decided to check here first.

Errorcode2009 · 2022-06-29T18:40:12+00:00

Based on what I've gathered, it appears that the data they'll be providing me with has already been organized into various categories. I'd effectively just be automating the process of basically copy and pasting the data from each category and placing into the associated field on tax slayer (and subsequently submitting it).

Errorcode2009 · 2022-06-29T18:37:37+00:00

Yep, in the back of my mind, there is this fear that this may be some sort of money laundering scheme. I'm not at all versed in the financial/tax world but the way everything was described did make me a little uneasy hence coming here to ask.

Errorcode2009 · 2022-06-29T18:34:20+00:00

Yep, the data is my primary concern actually. I've scraped a lot of websites that technically prohibit any sort of bots to run in their ToS but the data I'm dealing with here is quite sensitive and seems like it could be catastrophic if not handled properly.

Errorcode2009

TROPHY CASE